Student Question
How do Dickinson's "Because I could not Stop for Death" and Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" compare and contrast in tone, style, subject, and theme?
Quick answer:
"Because I could not Stop for Death" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" both convey calmness and reflection, but differ in subject and theme. Dickinson's poem portrays death as a peaceful journey, with the narrator free from responsibilities, while Frost's poem reflects on life's obligations, with the narrator acknowledging his mortality but emphasizing unfinished duties. Both explore mortality, but Dickinson focuses on acceptance, whereas Frost highlights life's ongoing demands.
I would say that these poems are more different than similar. As for similarities, both poems convey a sense of calmness from the narrator. Both narrators convey a sense of relaxation. In the Dickinson poem, the narrator and Death are on a leisurely drive together. There is no rush or immediacy about them. The narrator might have been too busy to stop for Death, but once she dies, everything is calm.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.
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